Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan is said to be worried about the shortage of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in the state.
After Chavan’s intervention, one officer has joined the department allotted to him, while the leave of another officer has been cut short.

Sumit Mullick, principal secretary, excise, cultural and tourism had gone on six months leave on Tuesday as he was troubled over holding charge of many departments, and had demanded that the charge of excise department be withdrawn. When the government did not pay heed, he applied for a year’s leave. But Chavan cut his leave short to six months.

The state has 298 serving IAS officers, against 352 posts. The shortage has resulted in many officers getting additional charge.

Mullick is the fourth officer, holding key portfolios, to go on leave over differences with political and administrative bosses. Additional chief secretary Anand Kulkarni, too, was on medical leave for more than three months.

He was unhappy with his postings after he was relieved of the excise department. Kulkarni returned recently and was appointed as in-charge of protocol and information and public relations on Friday.

Another senior bureaucrat, Malini Shankar, who headed the water supply department, extended her leave by two weeks after her medical leave of around one month ended last week.

She was angry after a Nationalist Congress Party minister used foul language at her at the Cabinet meeting.

V Radha, former project director of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, is another woman who proceeded on a year-long leave seven months ago because she did not get along with school education minister Rajendra Darda.

Apart from Kulkarni, four other IAS officers were transferred on Monday. Ashwani Kumar, principal secretary of the revenue (appeals) has been transferred as principal secretary at chief election commission.